A district technology plan that has been approved by the California Department of Education (CDE) is a requirement for all state administered education technology funding sources (Education Code Section 51871.5.). For districts, county offices of education, and direct-funded charter schools whose technology plan is expiring in June 2012, now is the time to begin the planning and writing process. These technology plans must meet the requirements set by the CDE for state approval listed in the Appendix C-Criteria for EETT Funded Technology Plans. State CTAP has provided a Technology Plan Builer to assist your planning and writing team.

Submission Dates for 2011-2012:

• Cycle A: October 7, 2011
• Cycle B: December 16, 2011
• Cycle C: April 13, 2012 (recommended for non-E-rate districts only)

To have a technology plan approved by the CDE, plans must be submitted electronically by one of the cycle deadlines above to Jenny Thomas, RIMS CTAP Project Specialist jthomas@ctap10.org.

If a district or direct-funded charter school intends to use the state-approved technology plan as an E-rate plan, the plan must be written prior to filing Form 470. The CDE recommends documenting completion through internal communication such as email. We recommend all districts that use their state-approved technology plan as an E-rate plan submit in Cycle A or B.

CTAP encourages districts and charter schools to use the CTAP Technology Plan Builder, found at the State CTAP portal, myctap.org. Although the use of the Technology Plan Builder is not required, it is provided to facilitate the ease of writing and editing the plan through a collaborative process, and aligns the plan with Appendix C: Criteria for EETT Funded Technology Plans.

Resources to assist in writing a technology plan are listed at the end of this article. RIMS CTAP staff are available to meet with districts and direct-funded charter schools to begin the planning process. We will also provide assistance in plan grooming prior to submitting for regional review.

EdTechProfile updating information and resources:

http://etp.ctap10.org/

State CTAP Technology Plan Builder:

http://myctap.org/index.php/techplan/tpb

Click here for a recording of the Tech Planning Webinar, recorded in May 2011.